Three generations of Gilmore temperament
by ainie
Summary: A challenge given to me by Emilyfan6. Starts right after Rory has left her grandparents' house.
1. The prodigal granddaughter leaves

**Disclaimer: I do of course not own the Gilmore Girls or anything that has to do with them.**

**Thanks to Inca (VoyICJ) for proofreading :)**

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THE PRODIGAL GRANDDAUGHTER LEAVES

I'm walking around in the house all by myself. For some reason, this house seems bigger and emptier today than it has in a long time. Richard is not here, he's away on business and won't be back until later this evening. There is no maid here either, I fired Sumatra yesterday, and I haven't been able to find a new one yet. Above all, Rory isn't here...Rory has left, and she's not coming back.

When I had come back from running some errands earlier today, I discoverd that Rory, most of her clothes and some of her books were gone. There are still a lot of her things left in her room, but I guess she'll come back for them later. I tried calling her on her cell phone, but she didn't answer. We had a fight over breakfast, before she went to do her community service yesterday. I had assumed she came back late at night and went straight up to her room, but now I'm not so sure anymore. I have neither seen nor heard from her since yesterday morning.

I go to the bedroom, where I kick off my shoes and lie down on the bed. I really need to think this through. So...she went. I should have seen it coming. We've been spluttering at each other for a while now. Still, I never would have imagened that Rory would just take of without letting me know. She didn't say goodbye, she didn't even leave a note. I wonder where she has gone. To Logan's maybe. Or to Paris'. Perhaps she has gone back to Stars Hollow to make up things with Lorelai? Funny about those two, they always manage to get back on track with each other. Me, on the other hand... I guess I should be happy if my daugther and grand-daughter become friends again, and I know in time I will be... But right now, I'm not able to think like that. I can only think of myself right now.

When Rory came and begged us to let her stay here for a while, I took it as the ultimate sign that we've worked our way into her life as her grand-parents, despite all those years when she barely spent any time with us. Ever since she and Lorelai came back into our lives I've enjoyed every second I've gotten to spend around that girl. I know Richard has felt the same way. Poor Richard, he'll be completely heartbroken when he finds out she has left.

Almost every single time I've disagreeed with Rory, it has been because she has taken her mother's side in a conflict between me and Lorelai. I don't necessarily blame her for that, she hears Lorelai's side of the story, and, of course, has no reason to doubt it. This time, however, things are different. It's not about me and Lorelai, it's all about Rory. That girl is growing to be more and more like her mother. And according to her, I'm becoming more and more like her mother's mother. I didn't really grasp the meaning of that statement when I heard her say it, but now I realize how right she was. Lorelai left this house once, without saying goodbye as well. Now Rory has done the same thing. And once again, here I am, lying in my bed, having all these strange thoughts. I can feel my eyes starting to burn, and a few tears have already made their way down my cheeks. I simply want to pull the blanket over my head and never come out again.

As I close my eyes, my thoutghts go back to the awful day, a little more than 20 years ago, when I pulled the blanket over my head and decided to hibernate for the first time. In my mind, I can hear Lorelai's voice reading her good-bye note, over and over again, which is really strange, after all, she never read it out loud. It's like taken out of a soap opera, I know, but still, it's there, her voice seems so real, it's like she's reading directly into my ear.

This time, there was no note...

I've been lying like this for about an hour when it strikes me; I am not going to let this break me down completely! When Lorelai ran away from home, I stayed in bed for a month. I allowed myself to just lie there and wallow in my pity. It didn't make the situation I was in change at all, neither for the better nor for worse. To be honest, it was a month of wasted time. I don't feel like going through that again.

I shove the blanket away and sit up. I put my shoes back on and stand up straight. There, now I'm up. Now what? I turn around and take a quick glance at the nightstand. The only thing on it, is a pamphlet, which I brought home with me from a beauty salon. I pick it up and skim through it. Aha! Here's something that ought to keep my mind of ...things, for a while.

The drive out to the airport isn't very long. While in the car, Richard tries to get in contact with me through my cell phone five times. He must have gotten home right after I had left. I don't answer it, I can't manage to explain the situation to him right now. I know he'll be upset when he finds out she's gone...and who knows what he'll think of me? He might give me all the blame... Only the thought of this makes tears run from my eyes again. I wipe them away with my hand before I take a deep breath and decide not to cry anymore now. What good will it do?

As I stop the car, my cell phone rings again. I take another look at the display, it's not Richard this time, it's Lorelai. It doesn't matter, I don't feel like talking to her either. I press the red button before I step out of the car.

After having been given the right keys I head towards hangar number seven. What a great idea this was, why haven't I thought of this before? A plane is just what Richard and I need. Well, a part of a plane, at least... Before I manage to find the right building, I get a SMS on my cell phone. Apperantly, I "have recieved a new message on my answering machine at 05.02 PM" That was about fifteen minutes ago. Isn't it a bit late to tell me? It could be something important, it usually is when people bother to leave messages. "Press green button to listen". All right then, I don't usually take orders from machines but what the heck. Green button it is.

_Hi, Mom, it's Lorelai, you have got to call me when you get this message, okay? Dad is frantic and we don't know where you are, so just call my cell phone as soon as possible. We just want to know that everything's all right. Okay. Bye._

Frantic? Because I've been out of the house for an hour at the very most? That doesn't make sense. He must have found out that Rory has moved out. I'd better call Lorelai.

"_Hello?"_ She seems upset.

"_Hi Lorelai, it's me." _

"_Mom! Thank God!" _Now she's both upset and relieved. "_Have you called Dad? Where are you?" _

"_No, I haven't called your father, I intend to do so later. I'm at the airport, looking at a plane. Hangar number seven," _I tell her in a casual voice. As if looking at aircrafts is something I do every day. Lorelai's voice, however, is certainly not casual.

"_What? What are you - okay. Just stay there, Mom. Now, what was the hangar number again?" " Seven!" _I repeat. I only hope I can find it before she does. Why does she want to come anyway? And why hasn't she mentioned Rory yet?_ "Like I said, stay there, Mom, I'll be there as soon as I can!"_ I can hear her starting her car right before she hangs up.

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	2. Lost

LOST

I found the plane, and now I'm sitting in the cockpit. I'm trying to think positively, after all, this is a beautiful plane and in only a short period of time I will be able to use it as if it was mine. But even though I'm trying to be cheerful, the thought of Rory hangs over me like a shadow. And once again, I'm wondering what Richard will say when I come home. For his sake I really hope Rory has come to her senses concerning going back to Yale. Richard was so proud when she decided to go to his old university. We've all always been proud of Rory's achievements at school. That girl will go far some day if she wants to. Unlike me...

_"Mom?"_ Lorelai is here. _"I'm in the cockpit!"_ I inform her, just as I hear her step in. _"Oh, add that to the list of things I thought I'd never hear my mother say..."_ she whispers. Of course not, according to my family all I do is arranging tea parties and getting my hair done and other useless activities. Well, not today, today I'm in the cockpit of a plane.

I go back into the part of the plane where Lorelai is waiting for me. She wonders what I'm doing, and I explain to her that I won't buy a plane without having looked at it first. _"I'm not Elvis."_  
_"Oh, my mistake. I thought you were. I apologize for sending you all those policeman badges for Christmas."_ Hm. I should have seen that one coming. She continues in a more serious tone. _"Mom, Dad is pretty worried about you."_ About me? I thought this was about Rory, who Lorelai for reasons I don't understand, hasn't mentioned yet. Why would Richard worry just because I'm not at home? _"He is?"_ I ask. Lorelai looks like she' been a little worried herself._"Yes, he said you didn't come home last night." _What's gotten into him now? And how would he know whether I was at home or not, he was away on business! _"I didn't?"_ _"Well, he said the bed looked like it hadn't been slept in, and you're between maids, so..."_ Oh, my goodness, so that's what this is about? Am I all of a sudden two years old and incapable of making my own bed? _"Oh, for heaven's sake. I did that! People don't even think I can make a bed. I can make a bed. I usually wind up re-making the bed after the maid makes it because she made it wrong in the first place!"_ I take a deep breath before I turn around to have a closer look at the seats. _"I wonder if these seats can be moved around?"_

_"Mom?"_ Lorelai's voice is so incredibly calm all of a sudden. I turn to her again. _"Yes?"  
"You're not going to buy a plane..."_ She sounds so didactic, appearantly she thinks I'm two years old, too. I really have to retain myself not to scream at her, I wish she'd just leave so I could finish up here by myself. "_Tell your father I'm fine and that I'll be home in an hour"  
_She doesn't move, she's just standing there, stareing at me_."Mom..."_

_"If you're not going to leave, then help."_ I put my hand into one of the seats and grab the measuringtape I threw into my purse before I left. Then I hand her one end. _"Hold this up to the window."_ I'm not really sure why I need to know how wide the plane is, but I want it to seem like coming out here to look at a plane was something I've been planning for a long time, not just some spontaneous impulse. She gives me another dejected look as she puts the end of the measuring tape in the window sill. I really, really wish she would stop looking at me like that. Why can't she just be excited that I'm buying a plane?

"_This plane is a time-share. We'll share it with three other people. The pilot is always on call, which means we can go anywhere we want at the drop of a hat, "_ I explain. She doesn't look the least bit impressed. "_Where would you want top go at the drop of a hat?" _She's trying to reveal that I haven't thought this through. _"Anywhere. Everywhere. I could travel with your father when he works."_ I say as I note down the numbers I just got. _"You can do that now."_ I suppose I could. _"Well, I can join him later if I don't want to leave when he leaves."_ _"You can do that now."_ Deep down I know she's is just being unusuallyreasonable and mature, but somehow I find her more annoying right now than I have in a long time._ "Well, you and Luke can borrow it."_ I just managed to refer to her boyfriend as if I am and always have been perfectly fine with him being a part of her life, that ought to make her act more positive. _"You can take it up to Maine for lobster rolls or down to Florida for some sun."_ I turn around to inspect the curtains. The color is awful, and the material doesn't seem to be of good quality. _"This fabric is just horrible. It has to go. It all has to go."_ Before I've even finished my sentence, Lorelai's at it again. _"Mom, you can't replace the fabric."_

This time I'm simply not able no give her a calm answer, so I start mocking her:_ "Mom, you can't replace the fabric, mom, you can't buy a plane..."_ Can't she hear how silly it seems for her to be telling me what I can't do? She gives me a sad look that says "I didn't mean it like that" while she explains: "_It's a time-share. You have to share it with three other people."_ This time I've really had enough.

"_Then I'll buy the whole damn plane myself!"_ I squall. She looks down and mumbles _"OK, sorry..."_ Good, Lorelai. Not a moment to soon._ "You know what? I am tired of all this. I am tired of your attitude toward me. You look at me as a thing of amusement."_ She is trying to defend herself now. _"I don't!"_ I can't stop now, I have to get this out._ "Something to be pitied or feel sorry for. Poor out-of-touch Emily. She has nothing. She lives to organize parties and frivolous affairs. Who would want to do that? To be that?"_ My voice breaks, and I'm straining not to break into tears. Lorelai's chin is beginning to shake as if she is about to cry as well, as she interrupts me and claims that she has never thougt anything like that. I'm almost starting to feel sorry for her. It was not her who has said these things to me, maybe she doesn't think what I do is...wasted time. I'd better get back to the point. My voice is slightly milder when I say _"If I want a plane, I'll buy a plane!"_ Lorelai has given up trying to get her opinion through. _"OK, good, go for it!"_ she sighs. There we are, she's looking down on me again. I wonder what Rory has been telling her about our disagreements.

_"It's my fault that Rory dropped out of Yale. It's my fault that she didn't go back. It's my fault that she's with Logan, it's my fault that she's not happy! It's my fault! It's all my fault!" _For a moment I'm not sure whether I'm confessing or being ironic. _"It's not your fault..."_ Lorelai's voice is about as mild as I've ever heard it._ "That's right, it's not my fault! I did nothing but take care of her! I bought her clothes! I got her a job! I guided her! I threw parties for her and introduced her to new people, new things, and she just..."_ Oh my goodness, it felt good to get that out. I look up at Lorelai for a split second before I continue, and it seems like we both know I'm not just talking about Rory here. _"The way she talked to me, you would have been very proud."_

_"No!"_ Lorelai's voice is begging me not to continue. I'm not feeling too good myself, my voice becoming thinner and thinner, but I have to go on. I can't hide how I feel about this any more. "_Oh, yes. She looked at me just like you used to. With that defiant, "who are you to be telling me what to do" sort of look. Then she left. Packed her things and moved out when I wasn't even there to see her go. No thank you, no goodbye. You would have been very, very proud."_

_"Mom!"_ Now I can't hold my tears back any longer. I try to wipe them away as I turn away from Lorelai. This simply is too painful, we need to put an end to this. "_Just let me buy my plane, Lorelai. Let me be frivolous and shallow, won't you please?"_ I say in a crying voice. I look up at the window and I see Lorelai's reflection. She nods slightly, obviously she wants to get out of here as well._ "OK..."_ she says as she walks over to the door. As she reaches it, she turns around once more. _"It's not the same, Mom. What happened with Rory. It's not the same."_ I take a deep breath before I answer her. "I lost her like I lost you. Feels remarkably similar to me."

Lost. To me that word means more than it does to most people. I lost my only daughter when she was 17. Not because she died, not because I treated her like she was dead, but because she turned away from me. The fact that she got pregnant was one thing. Teenage pregnancies occure in many kinds of families, and though many (including me, until it hit our family) would say it indicates that the parents of the teenager might not have done their job well enough, it doesn't neccesarily mean that the family had break up. Rory and the beginning of her excistance wasn't what broke up our family, Lorelai and I managed to do that by ourselves. Lorelai has always asserted that she would have moved out no matter if she'd had Rory or not. I'm pretty sure she's right, it would have ended that way no matter what had happened.

I remember that shortly after Lorelai had accepted me and her father back into hers and Rory's lives, I tried to find out whether she considered me to have lost her or not. It was the first time Rory had spent the entire night out with a boy. I was furious, Lorelai was upset and we were screaming at each other, even more than we usually do. I remember that during that fight, inbetween all the accusations and the complaining, I remember yelling at her: _"You're gonna lose her just like I lost you!"._ At that point, I'd hoped she would have calmed down and told me that I hadn't lost her. _"You never lost me, Mom, you're here, aren't you? We've slidden apart, yes, but you haven't lost me."_ Those were the words I was hoping to hear. She never said them.

Now the "lost"-word is back. "_You didn't lose her like you lost me. She was never supposed to be there in the first place. She was always supposed to be at school. She just went back where she belonged,"_ Lorelai says before she turns back towards the door, as if her last sentence is something she is slightly unwilling to admit.

_"And you didn't lose me..."_


	3. Coming home

COMING HOME

I'm in my car, still blinking away tears from my eyes, so I can see the road properly. My conversation with Lorelai upset me. A part of me is extremely annoyed with her, why did she have to act mature the one time I couldn't? Why did she have to look down on me the only time she had an opportunity to do so? Even after I admitted to her that all I wanted was to be frivolous and shallow to get over my grief over Rory's leaving, she didn't have the decency to back off or act like she normally does, so that I could feel superior to her. She acted like the perfect daughter, tried to comfort me and told me I hadn't lost her, which is the closest Lorelai and I have ever come to saying that we care about each other. Yes, she acted like the perfect daugther, and it makes me furious just to think about it. Another part of me...when thinking back at what she said as she left...Oh no, there are those tears again.

Now I have to go home and face Richard. I wonder what kind of a mood he's in. Not a very good one, I can imagne. Once again, I fear that he'll blame me for how things have gone with Rory... Oh, Rory...Every time I think of her, my mind closes down and avoids that thought. I always thought that if there was one thing I could count on, it was that Rory would always be her sweet innocent self, the one who's always trying to keep everybody else together as a family, who wants to make everybody happy... I was wrong. Rory is really starting to grow up now, she's going from being Lorelai's little girl to becoming a woman of her own. Well, not totally her own, maybe, appearantly there's plenty of both her mother and me in her.

The other day, while we were figthing at that tea-party, she was more furious with me than I've ever seen before. She was staring into my eyes, so determined that she actually scared me a little. I thought there was only one person in this world who could scare me with her look; her mother. I became totally abashed, and managed to mix the two of them up, probably making Rory think I'd lost it... Oh, Rory...I thought I'd agreed with myself not to think about her right now.

I've parked the car about three minutes ago, but I'm not able to get out of it yet. I told Lorelai to tell her father I'd be home in an hour. There's still about ten minutes left until I have broken that promise. 10 minutes until I have to go in there and see how he has taken the news. I seriously hope Lorelai didn't tell him how I reacted. When thinking back at it now, I think I might have gone a bit too far. Maybe time-sharing that plane would have costed just a tad more than it would have been reasonable of us to spend...OK, it would have costed a whole lot more than it would have been reasonable of us to spend. Goodness, I hope she didn't tell him.

Just as I take a deep breath and reach my hand out to open the door of the car, someone beats me to it. Richard flings the door open, and offers me his arm. I hesitate for a second, before I take it. He helps me out of the car, slams the door and turns to me...Here we go.  
_"Emily, where have you been? I got home and could find neither you nor Rory, I was worried about you!" _He seems upset, but not mad...and he doesn't know were I've been, well done, Lorelai. _"I just went shopping. Didn't find anything that I liked,"_ I say as I turn from him, hoping he won't get into the subject, and start walking towards the front door. _"So, you came home to an empty house, didn't you? I'm sorry about that."_

As we step inside and I start taking my coat of, he tells me that the house actually wasn't empty when he came home, he found two young men here, taking with them the rest of Rory's things. Normally I would have been extremely upset to hear that a couple of boys have had free access to all our things throughout the afternoon, but today, it doesn't really bother me all that much. Compared to everything else that has happened today, this is just a bagatelle. When Richard is done telling me about the incident, he goes to the livingroom and starts bustling over by the drink cart. I sit down on the couch and cross my arms over my chest, then I remember something. _"Richard! You were supposed to go to Nevada tonight and stay until Tuesday! Shouldn't you have left a long time ago?"_  
He comes over to me, and hands me my drink before he answers.  
_"Did you really think I'd go, and leave you alone at a time like this? After the things that have happened with Rory?"_ He sits down next to me. _"I sent one of the younger lads. It wasn't all that important."_  
_"But you said that you'd been looking forward to that meeting, you said it would be interesting,"_ I remind him. _"Ergh! There'll be other opportunities,"_ he he waves it away. If he really did want to go, he's doing a very good job pretending he didn't. He puts one arm around my shoulders, and I rest my head on it. _"Tell me more about Rory's leaving. What happened?"_

I explain to him that Rory went without a notice, that I came home and discovered that she was gone. The tone in my voice remains calm and almost cold while I tell him about it all. About her disappearance the other day, about our fight at the tea party, about yesterday's breakfast and everything else. Somehow I don't feel like dramatizing it all, I've already done that once today. I don't feel like crying anymore now either. Richard seems to understand that. When I'm done talking, he puts his drink on the table and uses his available hand to sweep my hair away from my forhead. He doesn't say anything, he just looks into my eyes. I look away from him and sigh._ "So...I guess she's back at Lorelai's now."_ I say before I take another sip. Richard shakes his head. _"No, she didn't go home. I talked to Lorelai while you were out, she had no idea anything was going on between the two of you." "But where is she, then?"_ My coolness is wearing of and I'm starting to sweat. If Rory is not with her mother, and not answering her cell phone, that means we have no chance of finding out where she is! So there's no chance to know if she's safe! Richard notices that I'm starting to worry.

_"Relax, Emily. Rory knows what she's doing. I'm sure she'll make contact with Lorelai soon."_ I can tell from the way he avoids eye-contact that he's really just saying that to stop both himself and me from worrying. Poor Richard, coming home to this mess. It was him who suggested that Rory should stay with us in the first place. No one can soften him down like that girl can. I put my drink down and lean towards him, resting my head on his chest. He puts both arms around me and holds me close to him as he kisses my forhead. _"Oh, Emily..."_ he mumbles. _"I'm glad I found out about this before I left. That I didn't leave you to be alone tonight."_ I smile, tiredly. _"I'm glad you're here, too."_

I really am glad he is here. Although I can't quite get past having some negative feelings when looking at him either. The things I said to Lorelai on the plane earlier today...some of them would have been better spent on Richard. We have got to have a talk one of these days, I know. But not tonight. I don't think I can take it tonight.

We remain in this position for a while, before he let's go of me, puts two fingers around my chin and gently forces me to look up to him."_Listen, do you think we should make a few calls to Rory's friends? Just so we know where she is?"_ I sit back up and think it over for a second before I answer him. Maybe I should tell him about the calls I made last week, when Rory didn't come home at night...or on the other hand, maybe not. _"No."_ I answer him _"Are you sure, Emily? Are we just going to let her work it out on her own? Like Lorelai did?_" Of course I'm not sure... I'm not really sure about anything concerning this matter.But I told him "no" and I'll stick with that. "_Yes. We tried the alternative, didn't we? It didn't work out. And if you're right when you say she'll be back at Lorelai's house soon, then I don't see any reason why we shouldn't follow Lorelai's example."_ Hm. I made it sound as if I'd thought a lot about this. Richard doesn't answer, he simply nods his head. I get up from the couch. I feel very exhausted. _"I think I'll go to bed early."_ Richard rises as well. _"I'll come with you."_ He puts one arm around my waist and pulls me to him. "_I need to be with you tonight, Emily. I don't feel like sitting down here alone."_ His eyes are begging me to stay close to him, keep his mind of what has happened in this house today. To be honest, I could use a distraction myself. I stare into his eyes for a second or two, before I put my cold hands on his cheeks and lean forward to kiss him. As our lips meet, I can feel his hands rubbing my hips. Oh, Richard, right now I'm really glad you're not in Nevada.

Richard is sleeping next to me, looking peaceful and calm as if he doesn't have a worry in the entire world. A couple of minutes ago I felt the same way. Now I don't anymore. I'm trying to go to sleep, but I can't relax. All I can think about is Rory. Not knowing where she is makes me crazy, the thought of her keeps hammering in the back of my head...I can't take this any longer.

I get up and begin putting my robe on. I try to be quiet, not to wake up Richard. As I step into the slippers I bump into the bed, which causes him to turn around in bed, mumbling my name. I freeze for a second or two until I'm sure he hasn't actually woken up, before I tiptoe out into the hallway. I grab the phone down from the wall and dial Lorelai's number. It rings once...twice...can she really have gone to bed already? It's only a couple of minutes past midnight. Oh, someone is answering.

_"Mom, turn the TV down..."_ I hear a familiar voice say, obviosly not speaking directly into the phone. Then the voice becomes clearer: _"Gilmore, this is Rory speaking?"_ Without a word, but with a smile on my face, I hang up. Then I put the phone back on it's place before I release a relieved breath. Alright. Now I can go to sleep.

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**It might take a littlewhile before I update...I just feel like I'mwriting because I "have to", so I'll wait until I feel that I wrote for fun again.**

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	4. Rory can't sleep either

**Here's a new,and short, chapter. This time it's Rory's POV.**

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Rory can't sleep either

Wow…Everything has changed so suddenly. A few weeks ago, who would have thought I'd be going back to Yale already? Who would have thought I'd be back in this house, lie here in this bed or resting my head on the pillow that I've missed so much? Who would have thought I'd be back here with Mom, and live my life the way I'm used to? I think this is much better than being waited for, having my clothes cleaned and ready for me in the morning, having other people make my bed for me, or eating meals that someone else has prepared. But come to think of it, I still do that last thing, the only difference is that now they're prepared by Luke.

No one would have imagned all of this only a few weeks ago. I mean...not that I planned to stay with Grandma and Grandpa forever. It was only temporary, but still, things have changed faster than I thought they would. Now, all of a sudden, I'm not talking to either one of them. They're not even going to pay for Yale anymore. Dad's taking care of that from now on, at least I hope he remembers to do so. It was a sponteaneous decision, really. Mom told me about Dad's new fortune, and asked me if I wanted anything from him, so I told her I thought it might be best if we didn't have to ask Grandma and Grandpa to spend that much money on me anymore. I told her I didn't want to owe them anything, that there was no need to have that kind of strings with them. Mom was sceptical, in fact a lot more sceptical than I would have expected. She asked me if I understood that I would basicly be cutting her parents off, and I think she was surprised that I could act like that. She's made jokes about doing that kind of things in the past, and I've always been the one to tell her how horrible she was when she said those things... I wonder if she thinks I'm horrible now...

Ever since I moved out of my grandparents' house, I've been trying to justify what I did to myself. My old psychology teacher would say that I've programmed my brain into authomaticly repeating to itselfthat "my grandparents are evil, my grandparents are evil", just so I could keep my own conscience cleaner. But I guess not even my own brain can be fooled for too long. I can't manage to think of Grandma and Grandpa as entirely evil anymore... The voice that used to tell me that I was right and they were wrong, has recently got a competitor, another little voice that could hardly get a word out at first, but grows stronger every day. This voice isn't on my side at all, you could almost think that it's been hired by Grandma. Well, except that it's been doing it's job for far longer than any of her employees.

_"You miss them, you know you do," the second voice keeps telling me._ No, I don't, I don't! _"Come on, these people are important to you. Don't you remember what you said to them in your graduation speach? 'Richard and Emily Gilmore are kind, decent, unfailingly generous people,' that's what you said_.That was before all of this, that doesn't count! _"Why don't you swallow your stupid pride and call them?"_ No! Why should I be the one to make the first move? "_Because, Rory, you left them without saying good bye." _OK, I did do that, sure, but it wasn't me who...who snuck into somebody elses room and started reading their personal notes and phone numbers! It wasn't me, who tried to ground a 21-year old! It wasn't me, who tried to take away another person's every little bit of privacy and keep track of everyting that this person did! _It wasn't you, who opened your home to someone in trouble, either._ Stupid voice, shut up! I think I'm going to be schizophrenic if I don't watch out.

I seriously can't take it when someone I normally love and care about is upset with me. I've been living like that for so long now, first with Mum and now my grandparents... Urgh, why can't everything just be okay again? Why can't things go back to normal: with Mom and Grandma fighting over various subjects, while Grandpa and I just sit back and look at them, throwing in supporting words now and then? Poor Grandpa, he's without an alley now. He has to stand by and watch all this crazy oestrogen in the family...

I wonder what's going to happen next... I mean, Mom and I could probably just stay away from them like we used to. A phonecall now and then, coming over for parties with other people present and so on... But I don't know if I want that. I don't know if Mom wants that either, or if Grandma and Grandpa do.

I close my eyes and try to go to sleep. Whatever we're going to do about this situation, I can't do it today. I'll lay low until Mum comes up with a solution, or if that should happen, Grandma or Grandpa decides to call. Whatever happens, I'll deal with it all. I'll deal with the Yale-thing, I'll try to explain why I left...It will work out, it just has to. I release a sigh as I turn around to change position. Maybe everything will look brighter tomorrow.

**

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The next chapter will be about Lorelai. I don't know exactly when it will be ready.**


	5. The little girl who wished for peace

**This chapter is Lorelai's POV. Please read and review!**

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The little girl who wished for peace on earth.

I'm screwed! Seriously, I'm not sure what to do right now. First, Dadleaves me a messageto tell me that Yale sent him his check back, surprise, surprise. Then, when I call to tell Rory, she says they had to find out sometime that she doesn't want them to pay for it anymore, and that if it's really important, she'll send them an e-mail. She's stubborn, my daugther. I have no idea where she gets that from.

By the time Rory softens up enough to actually send that e-mail, or maybe even call them, there won't be a single person at that bursar's office who won't be needing psychological treatment! Especially not if Dad includes Mom in the matter... I'd better do something. I don't like doing stuff for Rory that she should handle on her own, it's just not my style. But if things get out of hand, I've got to be the adult and take action. I'm pretty sure this is one of those times.

I sit down by the kitchen table and dial my parents' number. Maybe this won't be so bad. They both like Christopher, and his paying for Yale only means that they'll have more money to spend on themselves, who doesn't like that? OK, good, optmistic thoughts, this is going to work out.

Somehow they both manage to answer it, like Superman's parents in the TV-series. Great, I'm getting a double doze. Not for long, though. As soon as I tell them why I'm calling, Mom hangs up in a hurry, and Dad becomes all quiet, it's like I ripped his heart out. This is not working out the way I hoped! I try to comfort Dad by telling him that the two of them have done a lot of good things for Rory already, she probably wouldn't be where she is today if it hadn't been for them. Dad doesn't want to listen.

"_I have to go, Lorelai..." "Dad!" "I appreciate the phone call. I simply wish it had come before I called every person in the bursar's office a moron." _Oops, guess I was too late.

"_Well, if it'll make you feel any better, you know, odds are at least two of them truly deserved it," _I answer, and I can hear him chuckle at the other end. _"Hey Dad..." _I continue while we're on somewhatgood terms here. _"If we come over on Friday, are you going to let us in?Or should we bring blankets, 'cause I hear it's going to be cold."_ Dad sounds surprised _"I thought you'd stopped coming over at all..." "Well, yeah, but... I'm sure Rory would like it. Dad, if only you and Rory and Mom could talk, you know, then maybe this whole thing would be over."_

He sighs deeply, and I can practicly hear that he's trying to make up his mind.

"_Alright then, Friday night at 6.45." "Great, count us in!" _I say in a cheerful manner, but Dad only gives me a grunt for an answer before he hangs up.

OK, that went...fairly well, all things taken into consideration. Now I have to make Rory go with me to that dinner. I look back down at the phone and start dialing her number, but as it starts to ring I realize I can't have this talk with her over the phone. Shoot! I'll have to figure out something else.

"_Hello? Mom? Is it you again?" "Yes, it's me." "Look, Mom, I really don't have the time to talk right now, I'm late for a meeting." _She sounds stressed. _"My little busy girl..." _I chuckle. "_OK, how about I meet you at campus tomorrow? Say around lunchtime?". _She hesitates for a few seconds before she answers. "_Ok, I'm free at 11.30." "Great, can't wait! Hey, let's dress crazy!" "Whatever, I have to go, Mom." _And with that, she's gone.

I know Rory is very busy these days, trying to make up for the time she wasn't in school and everything. Still, cutting me off like that isn't like her. I think she's worried that I'll critizise the way she's freezing out her grandparents, keep pushing her to make things up. But I'm only doing that because I care about her! Rory isn't used to being the one being told to stop acting the way she does, especcialy not by me. It doesn't feel natural to me telling Rory what to do, the way a mother is supposed to reprimand her child. That's the hard part of being best friends with my daugther, drawing the line between motherhood and friendship isn't esay. I hope that she'll understand that I'm making her get back in touch with her grandparents because she'll regret it later if she doesn't.

The next day, I'm in my car, on my way to Yale. I'm summing up the Friday night situation in my head. OK, I have to make Rory go, I have to get her to talk to Mom, and to Dad, I have to make them all admit that they've done wrong and...OK, stop right there. Why don't I just invent a time machine to get us all back to the days before this thing started instead, that'll be easier. Heck, creating worldwide peace might actually be esaier.

Rory (who's not dressed crazy, the way we agreed, by the way...) comes to meet me in the parking lot and we go and buy ourselves some lunch in the school dining hall. Afterwards we go out to the coffee kiosk and buy ourselves some capuccinos. After some small talk about Logan and coffee, I tell her that I talked to her grandparents for her, and that it wasn't the happiest conversation we've ever had. Rory didn't seem to be expecting me to start talking about Mom and Dad, she simply shrugs and doesn't seem to know what to answer, so I continue.

"_Okay, here's how I see it. You and your grandparents are at a huge crossroad. A precipice, if you will. They are the Bridges of Madison County and you are Meryl Streep." "As the paper pages go flying off the calendar..." _OK, she's in that mood. I don't think she gets how serious this is, I mean, my parents have been a big part of her life for years now, and I actually think that it has been really good for her. I can't believe she wants to throw that away. _"Hey! Listen to me! I'm serious here. I know you and your grandparents are playing the 'who can freeze out who the longest', which I know can be fun, but if you ever hope to have a relationship with them again then someone needs to make the first move." _She shrugs again, and I know I haven't convinced her. All right then, I wasn't sure if I was going to tell her this, but here we go.

" _I remember the first Christmas after we had left Hartford, we were at the Independence Inn and I got an invitation to their annual Christmas party, and I didn't go."_I stayed at home and cried, instead._"And that one move defined our entire future relationship! I mean, if I'd gone it would have been awful, but I would have broken the ice and maybe, and I know this is a big maybe, but maybe we would have gotten a tad closer than we are now, or could ever hope to be." "Maybe, maybe not."_ Rory, why can't you work with me here? I just got more sentimental than I have in a long time, and it didn't seem to help at all. I think I'll have to cut straight to the case._"I just know how much you love your grandparents. And how important it was to you to have a relationship with them. And I don't want the fact that you inherited my stubbornness to screw all that up." _Of course, I got my stubbornness from somewhere too, but I don't think I should bring that up right now.

"OK, I hear you." She gives in, and promises to think about it. When I tell her she only has until Friday night, because that's when we're having dinner with them, she freaks out. I can tell that she's scared. "Rory, Mom already said she's really into this. You can't back out now." OK, that's a lie, I have no idea whether my Mom knows we're coming or not... But all is fair in love and war, right? I'm not quite sure which of the categorys this matter falls under... "She is?" Rory isn't convinced. Who can blame her? "Yeah." "Grandma said she was "into this?" Oh no I shouldn't have said that. Mom would never have put it like that. I need a way to get out of this..."Ehm, no, well, she didn't say it like that, she said: Oh, dinner with Rory, how delightful, uhm, spit spot, alert the corgies!" I dramatize in a very very British accent. "Mom!" "Yes, yes, she's into it, what do you say?" 

"_Ok." _Thank goodness! That's my good girl! So, that's task one solved,now there's only the dinner itself left. Did I say "only"?

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**In the next chapter I'm going back to Emily's POV. It won't be posted until I'm back from my vacation.**


	6. A sudden drop of selfesteem

**A sudden drop of self-esteem**

"_You told her what?" _My voice trembles with anger and disbelief. _"How could you tell her that without as much as checking with me?"_

"_Now, calm down, Emily" "No, I will not calm down. What are you thinking, giving me all that extra work without even asking me?" _He raises his eyebrows_."What, telling the maid to cook for four people instead of two? I can do that myself." _I don't know how to respond to that comment, so he continues._ "This was Lorelai's suggestion, what was I supposed to do, tell her they weren't invited?"_

"_Yes! No! I... I don't know, you didn't have to tell her to come without consulting me first!" _I get up from the dinner table and walk towards the door with determined steps. Richard gets up as well and follows me. _"Come on, Emily, you don't mean that. It will be good for you to talk things over with Rory, it will be good for all of us..." _I can't take this any longer. I stop, turn around to face him and yell as loud as I can. _"Stop it, Richard, stop telling me what I mean or what I should do! Believe it or not, I can take care of myself, and I can make my own desicions! _I start walking away from him again, this time up the stairs, but he is still following me. _"What's that supposed to mean? Emily, stop making it sound as if I have no faith in you..." _

"_You just don't want Rory to be like me, is that it?" _I cut him off before he can finish, surprised to hear the words coming out of my own mouth. He stops at the top of the stairs and stares at me, as if he couldn't hear, or, more likely couldn't believe what I had just said. His expression tells me that he wants me to explain. _"Like you said at the birthday party!" _I continue. _"You basicly told me that what I do everyday, my entire life, is a meaningless waste of time, and that you don't want that kind of life for a young and talented girl!" _He opens his mouth to object, and begins to say something, but it seems as if he can't get a word out. I've reached the bedroom door now, and I hurry inside, slamming the door behind me. Richard does not atempt to come in after me. I can hear him walking back and forth in the hallway a couple of times before he stomps back downstairs.

I sit down on the bed and bury my face in my hands. I feel as if I've pricked a hole in a boil. I had to say those things, I had to let Richard know that I'm upset about what he said. But it hurts to allow myself to even think about how he hurt me that day, not to mention saying the words out loud. What if there's some truth to it? What if I don't have as much to show for my life as I dreamed of when I was younger?

Richard has achieved a lot in his life. He always provided for his family, worked hard and climbed his way to the top of a company. Afterwards he started a successful company himself. Lorelai started out as a maid, but worked her way up to leadership of one inn, and then ownership of another one. Both personifications of the American dream. And Rory... well, no one knows how far Rory can go in her time. But me... I've never had a job in my life. I'm getting more depressed by the minute here, and more certain that Richard had his reasons for wanting a richer life for Rory than the one I'm living.

Other women, who aren't employed anywhere, often claim that taking care of a home and a family is a full-time job in itself. I wish I could use that excuse, but I've always hired maids, cooks, nannies and gardeners to help me do those things and taking part of the burden away from me.

But that's how I was raised to live, that's how my mother spent her life, and her mother before that...

I stay in the bedroom for a little longer before I decide to go back downstairs. Down there I can't find Richard anywhere, so I drape a shawl around me and go outside to look for him. I don't have to go very far because as soon as I open the main door I find him sitting on the step outside, drinking a beer. He looks up at me as I open the door, and seems to wonder if he should get up. I spare him the decision and sit down next to him.

"_Emily, I..."_ he begins, but I interrupt him. _"Richard, save it. It's alright, I'm not mad at you anymore," _I tell him with a sigh. He seems relieved, and takes a sip of his beer before he answers. _"Well, I hope you understand that I'm awfully sorry about the things I said to you at the birthday party. I didn't mean for it to come out like that, you know, I was worried and didn't really understand what I'd said until afterwards and..."_ I grab his arm to make him stop. _"Really, Richard, it's not nessecary. I've done some thinking, and I've come to the conclusion that you can't be blamed for saying the things you did."_ He looks at me as if he doesn't quite believe me. As if I'm only saying that because I really mean the opposite, as if I want him to apologize again.

"_I mean it!" _I assure him. _"It's alright, I'm not mad."_

"_But...Emily, you have every right to be mad at me!" _Richard claims. _"The things I told you...I had no right to say anything like that." _I look away, but I let him continue. _"Listen, if it weren't for you, there's no way I would have been successful either. All those years of keeping our social life in order, making sure we had good connections with the right people... You and I both know how important that has been._" I turn to him_. "Alright, so I know how to arrange dinner parties and other things like that, like a good wife should... Not much to accomplish in a lifetime."_

"_Seriously, Emily, that is far from all you've accomplished. You're educated. You've travelled around the world, seen more countries than most. You've raised a daughter, who all in all is living a good life. You've been supporting Rory, been there for her when she's needed you..." _

I was feeling better until he pulled Rory into this. Richard seems to notice that I get an increasingly sadder look on my face, and stops talking. He brushes his availeble hand over my cheek. _"And I know, that deep down she is grateful," _he says with a meek smile. I lean towards his shoulder and he puts one arm around me. It feels nice and safe to sit together like this. I look up at him and send him a smile. _"Talking about helping Rory, have I told you about that incident between me and Shira Huntzberger? At the "Hollywood Canteen" party?" _He shakes his head with an excited look on his face, so I give him the whole story. How I told Shira to stay away from Rory and Logan's relationship, how I said I couldn't understand why Mitchum chose to marry her, how I told her that we all know how Mitchum has been cheating on her... When I get to the part about her weight going up and down 30 pounds every other month, the expression on Richards face is undescribable. For a moment I wonder if he thinks I went to far, but then he breaks into laughter, a laughter that doesn't stop for a good three minutes. I haven't seen him laugh this much in years!

"_Oh my goodness, you sure know how to get things said, don't you?" _he manages to ge tout ashe's beginning to calm down. Then he becomes serious again. _"Emily, about that dinner..."_

"_Yes, what are we going to do there?" _I share his worry. _"Do you think Rory will want to talk? To sort things out?" __"I don't know," _he he replies honestly. _"Well, I don't think we should be the ones bringing it up. After all, she made the move of going away without telling us, so she should be the one to start things off with an apology." _I try to sound firm, and Richard nods in agreement.

"_It's going to be alright," _he says in a low voice. _"We'll sort this out. We've had disagreements with Lorelai and Rory before, and we've always found a way to get past it." _I nod silently. Neither of us says what we're thinking; that this time might be different because it's Rory we have to deal with instead of Lorelai. It doesn't have to be said, it's better to stay optimistic. And for the first time I think to myself that maybe this Friday night dinner won't be so bad. Allthough I'm still terrified, I cling to the possibility that maybe Rory will be sorry for what she's done, maybe we really can work this out, maybe life can go back to normal soon.

"_Well," _I sigh as I get up. _"Let's get back inside. We never finished eating."_


	7. Friday night allright, let's fight!

**The final chapter is up, I hope you'll like it!**

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Friday night – alright, let's fight!

I crawl into bed and lie down next to Richard, he went to sleep long before me. He was so tired, he must have been sleeping before his head even touched the pillow. My, what a peculiar evening this has been. A great number of battles have been fought under our roof tonight, I'm not sure how many, all I know is that I've been involved in every single one of them. Still, I don't think I was the one who tired first. Lorelai and Rory both looked like they'd been in a war, when they left. Richard barely managed to walk up the stairs. I feel fine.

When I woke up this morning, the first thing that hit my mind was _"Rory is coming today"._ The next thing was _"I don't want her to!"_. All morning the thoughts that went throught my mind were negative thoughts about the girls coming over. I was feeling terrible, and it must have shown on my face, because at breakfast, Richard asked me if I was feeling sick.

When I nodded, he gave me the very "comforting" information that I was as "pale as a ghost".

"_It just doesn't seem right to me!_" I complained. _"After everything we did for Rory, she chose to hurt us the way she did. And now, we're supposed to just welcome her back into our home with open arms? I don't want it to work that way!"_ Richard got up and came around the table to try and calm me down. He started rubbing my shoulders as I continued_. "But now that we, or should I say you, promised them a Friday night dinner tonight, I guess there's no other option..."_

"_Unless we don't welcome her with our arms open,"_ Richard exclaimed. I looked up at him to get him to explain. _"What if, when the girls come over, we maintain a distance between us and Rory, like a way of stating that we are not happy with her behaviour? Not in an impolite way, of course, but...like I said, a distance."_

So, when the girls arrived, I was outside on the patio, painting a moonscape, in the spirit of keeping a distance, knowing that I couldn't do it otherwise. I told them it had to be finished in time for an art class showing in the DAR, which is true. What I didn't tell them is that I have two months to finish it...

It didn't take long before Lorelai made me come back inside, wanting us to talk. She and Rory tried to explain to us why they had accepted Christopher's offer to pay for Yale, and they almost managed to make it sound like they were just trying to do him a favor by letting him put his daugther through college. When Richard and I pointed out that she was already being put through college by us, Rory finally admitted that she didn't want us to pay for it anymore. She would however not admit that she acted the way she did to hurt us. The situation ended with me, Richard and Rory making excuses to leave, but then Lorelai started acting like a conciliator, and made us all sit down at the dinner table to talk. Or shout, if you will.

I've never eaten such a hectic meal in my life. The discussion begana with what Rory did to Richard and me. We got an apology out of her, but you could hardly call it a whole-hearted one.

The worst thing was that while we're still on the Rory-subject, Lorelai let my idea of buying an airplane slip her tounge. Richard sent me a look that I pretendeded not to notice, as I specified to Lorelai that I only inteded to look at the plane, not buy it.

Shortly after that the salad was served, and the topic fortunately dropped. The discussion then continued with Lorelai accusing us of having let her down when she came to ask for help with getting Rory back to university. She reenacted an entire scene of her asking us for help, and us agreeing to do our best. I wanted to tell her that I was fine with her plan and had no intention of changing out strategy, that it was Richard who changed his mind and decided that Rory should move in. I decided to keep my mouth shut, though, I could tell from the looks Richard kept sending me that he was irritated enough with me already.

So... maybe, in a way Lorelai was right that we broke our promise to her, but in a situation like that, there was no esay answer as to what was right or wrong to do.

Nevertheless, Lorelai's tirade knocked the air out of all of us, and we all calmed down for a bit while dessert was served. The quiet atmosphere is only temporary, though. The second I'vd finished eating, Richard asked me to come to the kitchen with him for a moment while the girls had coffee. I didn't really want to come with him, I felt like a child who's being pulled away from the guests to get scolded. When we reached the kitchen, Richard sent the maid off, closed the door behind her and turned to look at me. I avoided eye-contact with him, so he came over and put his hands on my shoulders.

"_An...an airplane?" _he asked in a whispery voice. All I can do is nod._"An airplane?" _he repeated, louder._"You wanted to buy an airplane? Emily, what the hell? What were you thinking, buying an airplane?" "I didn't buy it, I LOOKED at it!" _I defended myself.

"_Well, what were you thinking LOOKING at a plane?" he asked, fuiously. "I can look at a plane if I want to look at a plane!" _I claimed. Richard obviously didn't know what to say, he seemed completely appaeled. _"How could you...when did you...what were you...Emily, you have any idea what an airplane costs?"_

"_Now, Richard, calm down," _I told him in a sharp voice._ "This was only an impulse, it was something I hadn't thought about. I haven't signed anything, and I'm not going to buy a plane, I just looked at it."_ He opened his mouth to protest again, but I wouldn't let him. "_Listen to me, Richard," _I continued in the same sharp voice, but at a lower volume this time. _"I am a grown woman, a grown woman, who you have recently claimed you respected greatly. I do not deserve to be scolded for spending my own free time in my own way, when it doesn't cost you as much as a dime, is that clear?_

Luckily, it only took a couple of more minutes to calm him down, before could we go back into the livingroom for drinks.

After all the outbursts, it seemed like we didn't have anything to talk about when we got back. We sat by the coffee table, sipping from our glasses and feeling the tense atmosphere in the room strangeling us slowly. I cleared my throat before I broke the silence.

"_So, Rory, how is Logan these days?" _Rory jerked from the sound of my voice and spilled some martini on her skirt, which she hecticly rubbed away while she answered. _"Uhm, he's fine. He's great." "Have Shira and Mitchum given you any more trouble?"_ I asked. Rory shook her head.

"_They gave that up ever since you hosted that DAR-event, didn't they?" _Richard surprised us all by opening his mouth. _"Well, yeah. How did you know?" _Rory asked him. Richard looked at me. _"Tell her, Emily. Tell her what you told me the other day, about Shira."_

And so I started telling them about my "conversation" with Logan's mother after having found out about the things she had said about Rory. It was a calm and undramatic kind of storytelling at first, but as Lorelai and Rory start giggling more and more, and Richard continued reminding me of things I must remember to put in, the story came to life and before you know it we were all screaming with laughter. Well, alright, maybe the fact that we all refilled our glasses quite a number of times has something to do with the relaxing atmosphere. Lorelai asked nicely if she could take her shoes off and rest her feet on the sofa, and I told her she could, for once. Rory did the same thing. For the first time all evening the two of them seemed really relaxed, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. When I got to the part about Shira's weight, they looked at me with admiration and disbelief. Especcialy Lorelai seemed impressed, a fact that made me feel quite proud. Richard laughed until he choked, although he had heard it all before. When the story was finished I told them about my only regret; _"I only wish I'd remembered to call her a cocktail waitress!" _which caused Lorelai to scream at Rory _"That's my mother's version of the C-word!"_

When the hysterious laughter had stopped, I turned to Rory and smiled at her. _"It was a wonderful event you hosted that day. Your time in DAR was short, but very successful." _She sent me a confused look that I can't decipher.

Later that evening I got to know why she looked at me that way. Rory and I were in the kitchen getting some more coffee when she stopped me as I was about to go back into the livingroom.

"Uhm, Grandma? Earlier, when you said that my time in the DAR was short, what did you mean? I'm not going to attend the gatherings anymore?"

"_Why would you do that?" _I asked with a smile.

"_Well, for one thing I liked it," _Rory claimed. _"And you said yourself that I knew what I was doing. I think I fitted in pretty well, don't you?"_

"_Rory, I think your quitting is for the best. I've already taken your name out of our lists," _I said, still with a smile on my face, but a much less heartfelt one than earlier.

Rory, however, was not smiling.

"_Why? Why on earth would you do that?" _she asked in a loud voice. _"How could you kick me out of the organization just because you and I had a disagreement?"_

"_Disagreement?"_I mumbled and turned to leave, but Rory grabbed my arm.

"_Well, yeah, you can't just kick me out because of something like that..."_ she goes on in a high-pitched complaining voice. I've given up pretending to be in a good mood myself now. _"Disagreement?" _I repeat. "_Is that what you call it? What you did to your grandfather and me can in no way be descibed as a disagreement, Rory, you hurt us deeply. Appearantly more deeply than you're able to understand." _Rory looks at me with an innocent and sad expression on her face as I continue. _"Now, I don't want that kind of conflict between the members of the organization, so I decided you had to quit,"_ I said in a slightly calmer voice.

As if this had anything to do with the organization. The reason why I took Rory's name out of the lists, was...well, that was a spontaneus thing too, really. I was going through our department's index, and I saw Rory's name there. _Gilmore, Lorelai Leigh. _It was as if it was written in much bigger letters than the rest , as if it stood out on the paper, and all I could think was "She shouldn't be there..."

Rory had no idea how esaily she got into the DAR, compared to other who doesn't have the same contacts. She didn't realize how esaily she was accepted in the group, or how quickly she was trusted with responsibility...We've had women coming to those meeting for years without getting as much as a word in. And then Rory comes waltzing in and takes it all for granted...I was filled with a sudden anger, and before I knew it I had put a thick line of ink over her name. As I closed the index and put it back into the drawer, I'll admit it, I felt extremely satisfied. A small revenge, a little victory for me...Just a little something I could comfort myself with.

"There'll be no more discussion of it" I said as I turned away from her and head back for the livingroom again. She followed me, telling me she didn't want to quit. When I didn't want to listen she claimed I had no real reason to kick her out, and also pointed out that she's in contact with more members than I am, and that she likes them better than I do. None of this is true, of course, but when I tried telling her so, she threw in my face that she has been in touch with one of the members Tweeny Halpern, behind my back. "What are you doing talking to Tweeny Halpern?" I asked her, confused. 

"_I'm friends with Tweeny Halpern! I'm helping her daughter look at colleges! I'm going to give her a tour of Yale!" _I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I never thought that Rory would dare to have anything to do with any of the DAR-ladies without consulting me first. She really didn't understand that she wouldn't have been accepted by those women if it weren't for me.

"_You have no right to talk to Tweeny Halpern or anyone else in the DAR! That is my organization!" _I said in a firm voice as I turned to leave the room again. A bit childish of me to put it like that, maybe, but at that moment I was so shocked and angry that I didn't even notice. Rory followed me as I headed back into the kitchen. _"I'm not quitting!_" she shouted. _"Oh yes you are!" _I shouted back as I poured more hot coffee into my cup. There was hardly room for any, but I couldn't let her know I went into the kitchen just to get away from her, could I?

After a few more rounds of "No I'm not – Yes you are" discussion, Rory gave up and decided to try with good words instead. After a little back and forth, we agreed that she will remain a DAR member, but that she has to let me know before she makes contact with any of the other members.We also agreed that she should not attend any more meetings in the near future, now that she needs to concentrate on her schooling. Rory is very good at negotiating, I have to admit and we managed to end up with a result we were both happy with. Something tells me I'm a little more happy with it than she was, but she was not complaining, so neither will I.

The last battle of the evening was one that has been fought many times before. It started when Lorelai and I were alone in the dining room for a moment, and I jokingly asked her why there had been so much fighting going on all the evening... Ironically enough, that started another fight. One thing lead to another, and before we knew it, we were walking down the road we always end up on - why she had to get pregnant, refuse to get married and then run away from home. As usual, we were screaming at each other and taking turns feeling dejected, raising eyebrows and sighing loudly. And as usual, we didn't get anywhere. When we had gotten to the point where she says that _"If things hadn't gone the way they did, everything would have fallen apart and we would have ended up killing each other,"_ I sent her a look that says_ "Why don't we just give in right here and now, we're not getting anywhere with this."_ For once, she understood what I meant, so we ended the battle without further ado and went back in to join Rory and Richard on the couches.

We all stayed to talk for a little longer, but by that time, all the others were pretty exhausted, so after a few minutes the girls decided to leave. I walked them out, Richard was too tired to do anything but give them a quick wave as they left the room. When Rory had put her coat on and Lorelai was waiting for her by the door, she gave me a quick hug like she used to do, and whispered something into my ear. I couldn't catch what it was, but I like to think it was _"I really am sorry, Grandma." _I hugged her back and waved at Lorelai as they left.

Alright, so everything isn't as it should be between Rory and me, not like it used to. Not yet. But this evening was a huge step forward. And we'll get there, I know we will.

* * *

**So, that's the end! Thanks to Inca for proofreading!**


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